The Story Behind a Recall

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard this nostalgic story about how the host used to make chocolate milk with his mom as a little boy and how special it was to him and was about to change the station to something slightly more entertaining, when he grabbed my attention. His next statement was, “If you enjoy mixing chocolate powder into your milk too, you may want to look into the recent Nesquik Chocolate Powder Recall. Now back to our regularly scheduled tunes…”.

Hmm, I was interested. He didn’t state why it had been recalled, so I looked into it further when I finally escaped traffic!

Apparently, one of Nestle USA’s ingredient suppliers notified the company that their ingredient may potentially be contaminated with Salmonella. No illnesses have been reported yet, but Nestle initiated a voluntary recall of some of their Nesquik Chocolate Powders as a precaution, regardless.

I feel like the public has bad connotations with recalls and associates a company who initiates a recall as risky or bad. Personally, I have respect for companies who are on top of their game and strive to keep their consumers safe and in-the-loop. Possibilities for contamination of food are all around and no matter how many precautions are taken, contamination is still an issue that needs to be constantly monitored. I know from working in a food manufacturing company that a lot of paperwork and “critical control points” are specified as preventative measures. The fact that the issue was caught before anyone reported in as being sick shows that Nestle and their suppliers may not be perfect (Who is?), but they are certainly one of many companies in the food industry who are on top of their game and help ensure the food industry maintains consumer trust.

What comes to mind when you hear about a recall? What was the most recent recall you heard about and what was the contamination issue?

Science Meets Food

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